Plaque can develop in different locations in a patient's cardiovascular system. The plaque can vary in size and shape. For example, the plaque can be quite extensive and occlude a substantial length of the vessel. Alternately, the plaque can be quite short and small.
Further, the condition of the plaque can vary. For example, the plaque can be inflamed and unstable, or the plaque can be quite stable. It is important to recognize that, inflamed and unstable plaque is subject to rupture, erosion or ulceration which can cause the patient to experience a myocardial infarction.
Presently, a number of procedures are available for locating plaque in an artery. One commonly performed procedure is angiography, which involves taking x-ray pictures of vessels after injecting a radiopaque substance into the vessels. While this procedure is quite effective for locating large plaque in arteries, this procedure is unable to evaluate whether the plaque is inflamed and unstable. Therefore, there is a need of a device and procedure for precisely and accurately locating the position of unstable, inflamed plaque.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device and method for locating unstable, inflamed plaque in an artery. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for determining the size of the unstable, inflamed plaque in the artery. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device and method for locating inflamed plaque which is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture and relatively easy to operate.